Adam Daifallah: The world needs more Thatchers

The world needs more Thatchers

In 1973, a young woman named Margaret Thatcher announced on British TV that she doubted there would be a woman prime minister in her lifetime. Seven years later, she surprised herself and the world when she became not only the UK’s first (and only) female head of government, but also the most effective and consequential British leader since Winston Churchill.

Margaret Thatcher was the most important non-American conservative figure of the 20th century, and possibly the most important non-American political figure of any stripe. In addition to her litany of public policy accomplishments, she was a hero to those who view politics as a way to advance political principles rooted in a clear philosophy based on ideas and values, not just a battle between individuals vying to manage the affairs of the state. There weren’t any of that stripe before her, but there have been several since.

Thatcher came to power during a period known as the Winter of Discontent. It seemed all of Britain was on strike. Wages were stagnant, garbage was not collected and unionized grave diggers left the dead to rot in the sun. Out of this chaos, Thatcher inspired her sometimes reluctant party and the whole nation to follow her down a different path.

Margaret Thatcher was the most important non-American conservative figure of the 20th century, and possibly the most important non-American political figure of any stripe.

She was and is particularly loved by young conservatives across the West, who viewed her resolve to place convictions ahead of political expediency – even when it was unpopular – as a godly virtue. Her famous “U-Turn” speech to the Conservative conference in 1980, delivered as pressure mounted to ease her tough economic policies, stands out as one of the great partisan political addresses of the television era.

Her 11-year premiership challenged and successfully reversed the decline that had plagued the UK since the end of World War II. Her big legacy items – privatization, low taxes, low inflation – remain intact; some remain virtually unchallenged. Some of her views, in particular her steadfast distrust of European integration, have lately taken on an extra shine.

On foreign policy, she encouraged the spread of freedom, democracy and the growth of free markets on every continent. Her opinions were coloured by her strong alliance with Ronald Reagan, with whom she shared a deep intellectual bond and unshakable friendship. That alliance led to a few important happenings, such as the collapse of the Soviet Union and the freeing of millions from the chains of communism.

Margaret Thatcher remains an intensely popular and controversial figure in Britain. Critics claim that her policies were socially divisive, that she was harsh or “uncaring” in her politics, and that she was too hostile to the institutions of the British welfare state. She administered tough medicine to her country through a series of policies unpopular with certain segments of the population.

As time goes by, it is history – not Thatcher’s critics – that will have the last word. As is so often the case with leaders who leave office at a low point in their popularity, they are vindicated with time. While Britain continues to struggle economically since the crisis of 08-09, Thatcher is acknowledged as the driving force behind the growth in the standard of living of UK citizens over the past two decades.

It will become cliché over the next few days as so many will surely say it, but we need leaders like Margaret Thatcher today more than ever. The world is desperately lacking politicians who will tell people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. Britain was lucky in that in her, it found the right leader at the right time. Not a few of the world’s nations are ripe for their own Margaret Thatcher in 2013.

National Post

Adam Daifallah is a partner at HATLEY Strategy Advisors, and a former member of the National Post’s editorial board.

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